May He My Constant Be
by wingz of an angel
Summary: Mystic Falls is not safe for Elena so she leaves. Elena, as Bella, meets the Cullens and falls in love with Edward. A part of her is still in love with Damon, however, so what happens when James attacks and Damon is suddenly back in Elena's life?
1. Goodbye Mystic Falls

**I own nothing. Enjoy!**

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Elena sat on one of the many couches in the living room of the Salvatore boarding house and thought about how much her life was about to change. Damon had insisted that she would be safer away from Mystic Falls and wouldn't take no for an answer when she refused to let him take her away. As she sat waiting for Damon to make the final arrangements to her relocation, Elena contemplated the conversation that she and both Salvatore brothers had a few hours earlier.

**-Flashback-**

"It's not safe for you here anymore, Elena!" Damon said to her exasperatedly. He wanted to take her away from Mystic Falls but she couldn't do it.

"This is my home, Damon! I can't just leave it behind. Besides, what about Jeremy and Alaric? Or Stefan and Bonnie? They've been through too much on my behalf for me to just up and leave them here!" she replied.

Just then Stefan walked in. Though free from Klaus, Stefan realized that he could no longer be who Elena wanted and needed, so he broke up with her. It didn't help that he had noticed the connection that existed between his brother and his girlfriend. Elena didn't necessarily agree with his thought process as she vehemently denied the growing attraction that she felt for Damon, but she also realized that Stefan had a lot of issues that he needed to work on. So they parted amicably but remained good friends and he was still as concerned about her safety as ever.

Stefan, who had overheard the entire conversation from his room upstairs, looked at Elena with a sad expression on his face and said resignedly, "Elena, I actually agree with Damon on this one. All of us—myself, Damon, Bonnie, Jeremy, even Alaric—went through all of these horrors with you because we care about you and don't want to see you get hurt. You staying in Mystic Falls and sacrificing your safety for their sakes is kind of like taking all of our sacrifices, rejecting them and then spitting in our faces for trying to help."

Elena made a sound of protest but before she could answer Stefan, Damon interrupted her. "Thanks for the support brother. Not that I needed it since you don't really have a say in Elena's life anymore, Bonnie agrees with me, and I've already taken care of the Ric and Jeremy situation."

Stefan scoffed at Damon's comment about his relevance in Elena's life and left the room. Elena, on the other hand, gasped and looked at Damon accusingly. "What did you do to them? You better not have hurt them, Damon! They're the only family I have left!"

Damon smirked at her and replied smoothly, "Relax princess, they're safe. I explained the situation to the drunk teacher and he was more than willing to do whatever it took to keep you safe. All it took was a little compelling, ahem, convincing, of your brother that this is actually what you wanted and we were good to go. You couldn't leave them even if you wanted to because they are already gone."

Damon was unprepared for the slap that hit his face and stung for a few seconds after her hand left his face. Elena looked up at him and said in a low voice, "You had no right."

She lunged forward to slap him again, but Damon caught her wrist gently and pulled her to him.

As Elena struggled against his grip, he looked down at her and said in an equally low and calm voice, "Elena, I love you. I've said this before, but I will ALWAYS choose you and I will do WHATEVER it takes to keep you safe, even if that means having you hate me."

Elena heard the sincerity in his voice and stopped struggling, instead relaxing into his arms. She looked up at him and said quietly, "I could never hate you, Damon."

Seeing his uncertain look, she stood on her tiptoes and reached up, pulling his head toward hers and kissing him gently. "Honestly, Damon. I don't always agree with your methods, and I don't know what it is exactly that I feel for you, but I know that I could not have survived these last couple of months without you. I trust you with my life and maybe one day soon I'll trust you with my heart too."

Damon looked down at her and watched her lips as she admitted to her possible feelings for him. His heart lifted with hope, but he knew that he needed to focus on the situation at hand and replied, "If you really trust me, Elena, I need you to do what I say and let me take you away from here. I know that life has been quieter here since Klaus left after the sacrifice, but he will eventually come back and when he realizes that you are still alive, it won't be safe for you anymore."

She was beginning to waver; he could see it in her face. But she was stubborn—Damon knew it and loved that about her. He looked at her imploringly, "Trust me. Please. I can't watch you die; not again."

That was all it took. She nodded once in defeat and he let her go. Damon wanted so badly to kiss her and tell her everything was going to be okay, but now was not the right time.

**-End of Flashback-**

Damon had called Stefan downstairs to take Elena home to pack while he made some last minute arrangements. That was a couple of hours ago and she hadn't seen him since.

She had tried to get Stefan to tell her where she was going so that she could pack accordingly, but after a few minutes of trying to wheedle the answer out of him, she realized that he didn't know. It annoyed Elena that Damon had taken Stefan out of the equation so quickly—just because they were no longer dating didn't mean she and Stefan stopped caring about each other; but the rational side of her realized that the smaller number of people who knew where she was going, the better, so she accepted Damon's need for secrecy and took his protectiveness with a grain of salt.

Suddenly she was whisked off the couch and pulled into a tight hug by Stefan. Damon had finished his preparations while she was daydreaming and now it was time to go. She hugged Stefan with as much strength as she could and tried not to cry as she thought about how much she would miss Mystic Falls and her old life.

Damon looked on as Elena said goodbye to his brother and planted a quick kiss on his cheek after Stefan promised to say goodbye to the witch for her. It pained Damon a little to see the woman he loved lean on his brother, her ex-boyfriend, for support, but he reconciled this with the knowledge that, if all went well, Elena's new life would keep her safe from her past and she would never see Stefan again. After one last hug, Elena looked at Damon and nodded—she was ready.

He grabbed her bags from where they sat next to the door, said something to Stefan about keeping a lookout for Klaus, and led Elena out of the boarding house and into his car.

She didn't say anything as he put her bags in the back, opened her door, slid into the driver's seat and started the car. She remained silent as he pulled out of the driveway of the old house that held so many memories of all her times with Stefan and Damon—both good and bad. She sat quietly and tried not to release the tears that burned her eyes as she passed the Grill, the high school and her old house. Elena did not utter one word until Damon had driven outside of the city limits and her life in Mystic Falls was gone forever.

As the car passed the "Thank you for visiting Mystic Falls" sign, Elena once again felt the tears in her eyes and turned her face away from Damon so that he wouldn't see her cry. Damon saw Elena's movement out of the corner of his eye and sighed when he realized that she was crying.

"I'm sorry, Elena." He said her name gently, and when she turned away from the window and looked at him, he saw that her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot.

He said it again, "I'm so sorry."

She nodded and smiled a little in acceptance of his apologetic words. Elena sniffled a little as she composed herself and then asked him shakily, "So where are we going?

Damon looked down at the woman that he had grown to love in the past year that he and Stefan had been back in Mystic Falls and said simply, "Phoenix."

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**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of May He My Constant Be. This isn't my first fanfic, but it is my first foray into Twilight, the Vampire Diaries or any type of crossover, so hopefully it wasn't too awful. I realize that a few aspects of my story might be a little confusing so here are a bit of clarification facts:**

**- This takes place after the sacrifice, so Jenna is dead and Alaric is Elena and Jeremy's legal guardian. Stefan has escaped from Klaus' clutches after sacrificing himself to save Damon from the werewolf bite.**  
**- Klaus wants to make more hybrids but knows he can't do so without the blood of a Petrova doppelganger. However, he still believes that he killed Elena in the sacrifice.**  
**- Though Caroline exists, I chose not to mention her in this story.**  
**- Jeremy is Elena's older, not younger brother.**

**Hopefully that covers everything; if not, let me know and I'll see what I can do about answering any other questions you might have. Thanks and please review!**


	2. Hello Phoenix

**I don't own. Enjoy!**

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"Phoenix."

Phoenix, Arizona was so far away from Mystic Falls, Virginia and Elena was so emotionally and physically exhausted that she couldn't even wrap her mind around it. Instead she looked at Damon with an unreadable expression on her face and turned her face back to the window.

Damon sighed exasperatedly and thought to himself, "This is going to be a long drive."

**-35 Hours Later-**

"Elena, wake up. We're here." Damon gently shook Elena's shoulder to wake her up. He looked out the car window at his 'Uncle Charlie's' house. Charlie, like Zach, took was a very very distant descendant of the Salvatores and served as the necessary human being living at any abode frequented by vampires. Charlie, also like Zach, didn't particularly like vampires, and of course preferred Stefan to Damon—although how much of his dislike had to do with the fact that Damon had once attempted to seduce Renee, Charlie's wife. In Damon's defense he met her at a bar and had no idea that she was married until he went home with her and Charlie opened the door. Things between Charlie and Damon were a little strained after that, to say the least.

Elena jolted awake as soon as she heard Damon say her name and felt his soft touch on her shoulder. She too looked out the window at the little house on the end of the quiet street, though her thoughts were much different than Damon's. He opened his door, got out of the car and went around to open Elena's door, but she was much too preoccupied with the couple standing in the doorway waiting for the two of them.

On their faces Elena detected a little fear, but mostly just resignation and annoyance. She glanced at Damon, who was wearing a similar expression, minus the fear, and decided that these two people, whoever they were, knew Damon's secret but weren't too happy about keeping it.

"Where are we, Damon?" Elena asked. She already knew the answer—Phoenix, Arizona—but Damon had refused to answer any other questions that she had about her future home, so she was really just fishing for a little bit more information about the two people in the doorway, the little house at the end of the street, and the life that she was about to begin.

Damon just shushed her and said, "Inside first," grabbing her bags and walking ahead of her toward the entrance of the house.

The man and the woman—Damon called them Charlie and Renee as he walked past them into the entryway—moved out of the vampire's way, but when Elena attempted to inconspicuously follow his lead, Charlie and Renee stopped her and introduced themselves.

Renee, seemingly the more outgoing of the two, was the first to move. She stepped forward into Elena's path and stuck her hand out, saying kindly, "Hello, you must be Elena. I'm Renee, Damon's…Aunt. He's told us all about you; please, come in." Charlie just shook her hand, said gruffly, "Charlie," and followed his 'nephew' into the house.

Once official introductions were made and Damon had explained Elena's situation to Charlie and Renee, they were more than happy to let her live with them as their 'dear niece Elena.' Their one condition, however, was that Damon did _not_ stay with them too.

"It's too dangerous, Damon!" Renee was adamant in her argument that he return to Mystic Falls immediately. "Just because this big, bad Original thinks Elena is dead doesn't mean he isn't keeping an eye on that town. If he realizes that your impromptu road trip was really an escape, he will hunt you down and when he finds you everyone around you, Elena included, will probably die. It's just not safe."

Charlie, though technically the deciding factor in the decision as he, not his wife, was the Salvatore descendant, simply agreed with Renee and then left the room, attempting, at all costs, to avoid the conflict that he was sure was brewing between his nephew and his wife. He was a little wary about leaving his wife with Damon after what happened between the two last time Damon came to visit, but he had great faith in Elena's ability to keep Damon in check and hoped that things wouldn't get out of hand.

Elena, on the other hand, agreed, though somewhat reluctantly, with Renee. "Look," she said to Damon, "I don't really know Renee at all, but she's right, Damon; you know that she is." Elena looked at Damon imploringly and continued. "You brought me here to keep me safe, but in order for that to happen, you can't be here. I'm not saying it won't be hard, and I'll miss you like crazy, but Renee is right, Klaus will find you and people will get hurt. I can't allow that to happen, not for me, not again."

Damon looked first at Renee and saw the steely determination in her eyes: she would get him to leave even if it killed her. But then he looked over at Elena. He saw how painful it was for her to ask him to go, the tears that threatened to spill over and the loneliness that would consume her as soon as he left. Deep down though, he knew that she was right. And if Damon was being truly honest with himself, he would do anything for the beautiful young woman sitting next to him, whether she was right or not.

A few hours later, after a short nap and a quick shower, Damon found himself standing next to his car, recreating the goodbye scene between Elena and his brother that he had witnessed a little more than two days ago. This goodbye, their goodbye, was different somehow.

As Elena ran from inside the house to outside and into Damon's waiting, open arms, their embrace and subsequent heart-wrenching kiss possessed all of the fervent passion that Elena's platonic hug and chaste kiss on the cheek with Stefan had lacked. If there was anything Damon needed to prove that she no longer felt anything for his brother, this moment, this bittersweet goodbye was it.

Elena pulled away from Damon slightly, hid her face in his shoulder and said sadly, "I'll miss you so much."

Damon nodded. "I'll miss you too," he replied with equal sadness. "But I'll come back; I'll always come back."

She looked up at him and said hopefully, "Promise?"

"Always." Then, because Damon Salvatore was never one to dwell much on feeling, he said, "Besides, who's gonna keep you out of trouble if I'm not around? You seem to have an unexplained knack for getting into dangerous situations so I'll be here to check in every month or so."

Then, because Elena Gilbert was much more aware of her feelings for Damon than she let on, she kissed him lightly on the lips, smirked up at his face looming over hers, and skipped away from him, calling behind her, "You better, Damon Salvatore. I'll be waiting."

Damon gazed longingly at Elena's retreating form, got in his car and with one last look at Elena, said "I'll be counting down the days," and drove away.

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	3. Goodbye future happiness

**I don't own. Enjoy!**

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**-Approximately One Month Later-**

Elena had been watching the window for days now. Damon had said a month but hadn't specified the day, so the closer it got to thirty days from when he dropped her off, the antsier she got.

On day three of at least trying to appear patient, Elena could take the wait no longer and used the secure number that Damon had given her before he left to at least see if he was on his way. A small part of her knew that the number was only for emergencies, so to use it would mean that something was possibly wrong. She knew that Damon would probably go into hyper-protective mode and she would never hear the end of it; another small part of her felt bad that he would worry unnecessarily for her, but yet another part—this one much larger than the other two—decided that extreme fear for her safety would do nothing but get him to her faster.

Besides, Elena thought as she heard the ringing and waited for him to answer on the other end, she had a few tricks up her sleeves that would be sure to lessen the damage: kissing Damon senseless the moment he pulled in being one of them.

Suddenly, the hair on Elena's arms stood on end as her body warned her of another presence in the room besides her own. Phone still pressed to her ear, Elena whirled around and ran right into Damon's rock hard abs. She let out an agitated "Oomph," squealed excitedly when she realized that it was Damon and then, phone call forgotten, practically pounced on the poor vampire as if she hadn't seen him in ages—in her defense, she thought later, she hadn't.

Not that Damon really minded and, never one to pass up a perfectly good opportunity to make out, the dark-haired man wrapped his arms around Elena's back, pulling her closer to him and backed her against a wall, kissing her desperately. He had missed her too.

It took another five minutes, an extreme need to breathe and a few awkward coughs from Charlie and Renee before the two separated, and even then Damon didn't let go of Elena for a second.

"Ahem," Charlie said for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Renee hit him on the arm, looked at the two lovebirds standing near the window seat and simply rolled her eyes.

Young love, she thought knowingly.

Damon attempted to remove the still awkward air of the room by turning toward Charlie and saying, "It's nice to see you Uncle."

To which Charlie promptly replied, "Ha. I'm sure." And then the ice was broken.

Charlie and Renee had come to love the poor girl that Damon had foisted on them a month earlier and both were beginning to think that her life might be a little safer and happier if Damon, or anything supernatural for that matter, wasn't in it. Naturally those feelings lent themselves to the tension in the room that appeared with Damon's arrival, and carried over to some of the conversation that occurred as Damon, Elena, Charlie and Renee sat around the kitchen table eating cold pizza and drinking soda.

Elena, sitting comfortably next to Damon and unconsciously leaning on him—not that he minded—was the first to break the ice and asked about her old home and friends, specifically Bonnie and Stefan. Damon made no pretense of pretending to care about Bonnie, but he had heard nothing out of the ordinary about her and told Elena so. As for his brother, Damon assured Elena that he was his usual brooding self and had sent Damon with a hug and a hello for his ex-girlfriend.

Then Charlie, a police chief and ever concerned about safety above all else, brought up the question that everyone else wanted to ask but were too scared to know the answer to, "What about Klaus?"

Damon sighed deeply and answered, somewhat wearily, "I don't know. It's like he's disappeared and that worries me because I can't keep Elena safe from an invisible enemy."

Charlie considered Damon's words and looked over at his wife, who nodded in agreement. "How do you plan to keep her safe then?" she asked.

It was at this point that Elena chose to interrupt and said in a voice that implied she was somewhat miffed, "I'm right here you know; didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to talk about someone when they are standing right in front of you?"

Damon looked down at her in a way that was equally annoyed and said, "We're trying to protect you. Don't you get that, Elena? I love you, but you are acting very childish right now."

Elena angrily pushed Damon away and stood up, walking over to the counter and leaning against it instead.

"I'm fully aware of your feelings for me, Damon," she replied icily, "but I am not your girlfriend. You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do, and I am sick of your overbearing attitude when it comes to my safety! Just because you are at least 130 years older than me doesn't mean that you can boss me around and call me childish."

Damon had the self-preservation to look at least a little abashed, before his face flashed from hurt to angry to simply blank. He pinched the bridge of his nose in a sign of continued annoyance which Charlie and Renee took as their cue to leave.

The two loved Elena like the daughter they never had, but the Swans knew better than to get embroiled in a fight when Damon was involved. And the truth of the matter was that Damon brought the girl to them, and it was his prerogative whether she continued to stay or not. They were empathetic to Elena's plight, but both agreed that her safety needed to be a priority so whatever solution Damon came up with, Charlie and Renee would support him.

Elena realized all of this as Charlie and Renee exited the room and knew that she fought a losing battle, but she was sick and tired of Damon treating her like she was incompetent and thinking that a few kisses here and there meant he had complete power to dictate how she lived her life.

Damon saw the steely determination in Elena's gaze as she glared at him from across the kitchen, so he made a split second decision and said, "Elena, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings by calling you childish but there is no other way to describe how you're acting! I'm just trying to keep you safe but if that's not what you want, I'll just leave!"

Elena's glare faltered a little when she realized that he was being serious, but then she said quietly, "Fine. Maybe you should go. I don't want to see you anyway."

Her words pierced Damon's heart like a poisoned arrow but deep down he knew that this fight was for the best. It was simply too dangerous for her to be around him, and he wasn't willing to risk her safety, even if it meant sacrificing his own future happiness.

"Fine," he replied, grabbing his coat and keys and stomping angrily out of the house. He opened the driver's door to his car, got in and then slammed it shut loudly. If it weren't summer when people tended to stay up later anyway, the neighbors probably would have complained, but as it were, there were no nearby neighbors in town that June weekend anyway so Damon's anger was simply expelled onto the three inhabitants of the little house on the end of the street as he turned on the car and drove away, revving the engine obnoxiously for good measure.

Charlie and Renee reentered the kitchen to see a visibly sagging Elena. It was clear that, while she had put up a good appearance of resistance in her argument with Damon, she regretted telling him to leave. Renee remembered how excited Elena had been just a few hours earlier when Damon had suddenly appeared, and couldn't help thinking that maybe Damon was good for Elena after all.

At the very least, she remarked to her husband later, this evening did not go at all as she, or anyone else for that matter, had expected it to.

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	4. Hello new start

**I don't own. Enjoy!**

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It took Damon all of 20 minutes to cave and call Elena using the emergency phone number he had given her.

"Hello? Damon? Hello?" Elena answered breathlessly. A part of her was still a little upset over his earlier words but she was, at that very moment, too busy panicking and imagining that something terrible had happened to him to stay angry.

"Elena, calm down. I'm alright. It's alright." Damon answered reassuringly.

She exhaled with relief and said, "Oh! Thank goodness! I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you." It was at that moment that Elena remembered their fight from earlier, and she said to Damon in an annoyed voice, "I'm still mad at you, you know. Especially since you used the emergency number and almost gave me a heart attack! I know that you can't die, but if my heart stops beating, I will!"

Damon, who up to this point had simply been happy to hear her voice again and hadn't been paying attention to her ramblings, immediately interrupted and said angrily, "Don't even joke about that, Elena. I will _not_ be the cause of your death. Ever."

Saying the first thing that came to mind, Elena replied, "What if I wanted you to change me?" Upon realizing the implications of what she just said, Elena gasped quietly and apprehensively waited for Damon's answer over the phone.

Busy getting his emotions under control, Damon took a few seconds to answer Elena's question, so she tentatively said, "Damon?" hoping that she hadn't made him angry at her again.

"Having you around forever would make me the happiest dead man alive, Elena. You know that. But you have to want this for the right reasons, not just so that you can be safe from Klaus and go back to Mystic Falls." He answered.

Elena made a brief sound of protest, but he continued before she could say anything. "Forever is a long time, Elena, and you are still only 17. You have time to make this decision; it doesn't have to happen right now. So answer me truthfully—why do you want this?"

She thought about his question for so long that Damon thought she had hung up on him. Finally Elena answered him. "I'm tired of being the weak human that everyone has to protect. I'm tired of people getting hurt because of me. I'm tired of the fact that Stefan thinks he is too dangerous for me. I'm tired of the fact that you and I fight constantly about my safety. I want it all to end." She took a deep breath and continued, "You are the only vampire I know that would be willing to change me. I trust you because I know that an eternity with me is something that you don't want to pass up on or miss. So do it, Damon. Change me. Please."

Damon was heartbroken. "No," he said vehemently. "I refuse to be the one who took away your humanity; you may not care right now, but one day you'll hate me for it. And it may sound selfish, but I am not going to change you so that you can go straight back to Mystic Falls and Stefan's arms. I love you and I am the _only_ one who has stuck with you through this, but it hurts to think that you would use me in this way. I said it once, but I'll say it again, you and Katherine have a lot more in common than just your looks."

Elena was taken aback at his reply. He had hurt her deeply. She replied icily, "You know what, Damon, just forget it. Pretend I didn't even say anything. And if you were thinking of turning around and coming back here for the night, don't. I don't want to see you again for a while."

"Fine." He said sharply. "See you in a month." He snapped his phone shut roughly and continued on the long drive back to Mystic Falls.

**-Two Months Later-**

Damon never came back.

After he had hung up, Elena realized that she had, once again, taken his love for granted and messed things up with Damon _again_, but she thought that he would have forgiven her by the time he was supposed to be back in Phoenix to check up on her. Apparently not.

As time passed and the summer slowly disappeared, moving from June, to July, to August, Elena's remorse over her fight with Damon turned to hurt and anger; he had abandoned her. The one person who had promised to never leave her, who said that he would always be there for her, he was gone.

Damon's absence didn't just affect Elena. Charlie and Renee fought constantly over how to best take care of and protect the girl that they had come to love as their daughter. Renee believed that Damon still loved Elena and would, eventually, come back for her. Charlie, on the other hand, despised Renee for her overly optimistic opinion of Damon, and couldn't help but remember that his wife had almost slept with the attractive vampire, once upon a time.

Elena watched as the troubles of her life, once again, destroyed the lives of those that she loved. When Charlie and Renee fought about her safety, she was reminded of the many arguments she'd had with Damon on the same subject. When Renee refused to believe that Damon wasn't coming back, Elena thought back to the faith that she still had in Stefan and all the times that she had been told to forget him because he too wasn't coming back to her. When Charlie and Renee couldn't reconcile their differences and Charlie moved out, first to the couch, and then to a motel, Elena was reminded of when Stefan left her.

Those memories hurt Elena and she began to draw into herself, becoming the shell of a person that she had been that summer right after her parents' death all over again. What hurt even worse was knowing that she had fought with Damon and was, therefore, the direct cause of all the unhappiness between the couple who had become like a second set of parents to her.

Renee, sitting with Elena in the kitchen, the day after Charlie left, attempted to assuage Elena's guilt, saying, "Oh honey. It's not your fault that this is happening between us." She pulled Elena into a hug and smoothed her hair soothingly.

"But if I had never come, you two would still be together! You love Charlie, I can see it!" Elena answered, refusing to be placated.

"Well," Renee replied, "I can see that you clearly love Damon, and yet here we are. Yes, I love Charlie, but we are just too different to make this marriage work. To be honest, I think we were falling apart long before you came to us. The reason we've managed to even stay together this long is because of you."

Elena sniffled, a sign she was about to cry, but Renee continued, "I know that we aren't your parents, and if it were up to you, Phoenix would not be your home. But we both love you, Elena. Whatever happens, remember that."

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A few weeks later, as August became September and yet another month mark passed with no sign of Damon, Charlie, who Elena had continued to see on a regular basis, showed up at what was now Renee's house, with an announcement.

"I'm moving." He said.

Elena made no attempt to stifle her gasp and the look of hurt on her face was clear. Yet another person in her life was leaving her.

Charlie immediately saw the effect that his words had on Elena, and looked at her apologetically. Though Renee was in the room, Charlie spoke directly to Elena and said, "You already know that Renee and I are getting a divorce. Phoenix holds too many memories of our life together, and frankly, I'm tired of sleeping in a seedy motel."

Elena, who saw Damon everywhere she looked, fully understood the need to just get away and start over. "Take me with you," she said quickly.

Renee, though sad that Elena wanted to leave, was not surprised. She had watched as her surrogate daughter had gotten more and more depressed over the summer, and knew, deep down, that a move far away from everything was just what Elena needed. She still, however, had faith that Damon would come back and asked, "What about Damon? When he comes here to look for you, what am I supposed to tell him? That you just up and moved away?"

"Damon is gone, Renee." Elena answered. Charlie nodded in agreement.

"I think that a change would be good for you, Elena." Charlie said. "And if Damon really does return, which I don't think he will, it will be good for him to not know where you are. You need a fresh start just as much as I do."

With an air of finality, Renee looked from Elena, to Charlie, and back again. "So it's settled then." She said. "I'll miss you, Elena, but I really think that this is what's best—for all of us."

After further discussion, the three decided that it would be best if Renee didn't know where Elena and Charlie were going so that no one, vampire or otherwise, could threaten her to find the doppelganger. They also decided that Elena would pose as Charlie's daughter to avoid any unwanted questions and that her name should be changed so that if anyone did come looking for her, Elena Gilbert would be nowhere to be found.

Elena packed up what little clothes and belongings she had in her room at Renee's house, gave Renee a quick hug and kiss goodbye, and went with Charlie back to his motel. He had already packed everything of his up and what didn't fit in the car, he had already mailed to the address of his and Elena's new home.

Looking out the window as she moved, yet again, Elena thought of the past few months that she had spent with Renee, and was glad for the new start that she and Charlie were going to get. As she said goodbye to Phoenix for the last time, Elena turned to Charlie and said firmly, "From this point onward, I am no longer Elena Gilbert, the girl whose best friend is a witch, who's dated a vampire, and who knows a werewolf."

Charlie was a little taken aback by Elena's strong outburst, but he nodded encouragingly. "So who are you then?" he asked her, curiously.

"I am now Isabella Swan. A normal teenage girl, with a normal Dad, who is moving to a new town for a new start. I will forget the life that I had in Mystic Falls and the life that I had in Phoenix. Elena Gilbert is no more."

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	5. Goodbye Exciting Elena

**It's been a while and I apologize since this is mostly a filler, but we do meet Edward in this chapter! Kind of. Anyway, enjoy!**

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As Charlie and Elena—now Isabella—drove through the night toward their new life in Forks, Washington, Elena explained why she chose Isabella Swan as her new identity.

"Well, Swan, of course, is because that's your last name. I figured that since I would be posing as your daughter anyway, we might as well share the same last name." Elena looked across the front of the car at Charlie, and was surprised to see a light sheen to his eyes that could only be unshed tears.

Charlie, without taking his gaze off the road, said chokingly, "I would be very proud to call you a Swan."

Elena, not expecting this reaction, was unnerved by Charlie's sudden display of emotion, and quickly said, "And Isabella is my middle name, so I thought that I'd use that. Besides, if anyone hears you accidently call me Elena, we'll just say that I recently changed my name from Elena, my first name, to Isabella, my middle name, and it's taken you a while to get used to it. I don't much like the sound of Isabella though, maybe Bella? It's shorter, and easier to say. What do you think Charlie?"

Now embarrassed by the brief break in his usually stoic demeanor, Charlie grunted that he'd heard her and nodded in response to her chattered questions. Bella, he supposed, would work just as well as Isabella, and would probably make it a little easier for her to fit in at her new home. People with nicknames, he surmised, were much more generic than people with snobby sounding names like Isabella. Not that he'd ever tell Elena, err Bella, that.

After a few more hours of driving, Charlie realized that the car needed gas, so Bella, once they stopped at a gas station off the highway, volunteered to fill up the car if Charlie would take care of the snacks. Charlie, ever one for food, agreed quickly to this plan and left Bella standing next to the car, waiting for the tank to fill.

Though late August was still summer, Elena found herself a little chilly standing outside the car in her shorts, tank top and one of Damon's old button ups. She had promised herself that she would give up everything and anything to do with Mystic Falls, but a small part of her rationalized that she didn't have to start that process until they actually arrived in Forks, and was content to wear Damon's shirt until then.

Suddenly, Elena heard the screech of car wheels turning wildly, and looked up to see one of the most handsome men she had ever seen driving frantically away from her. He and a short, pixie-like girl that she could only assume was his girlfriend, had been at the fill station next to her, but had ignored Elena just as she'd ignored them. It wasn't until the young man rolled down the window to say something to the girl that they realized her presence; the guy wrinkling his nose in disgust and yelling at his companion that they were leaving, now.

Elena, though at first preoccupied by the silky-smooth quality of his voice, could not miss the face of absolute revulsion that he sent her way. As Charlie returned with snacks and they continued on their way, it was that horrific look, not the man's attractive face or beautiful voice, that stuck with her.

She pretended not to be bothered that a complete stranger could dislike her so strongly for no apparent reason, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not shake the feeling that there was something about the two beautiful people that she had missed.

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Charlie and Elena finally arrived in Forks and after unpacking the car and eating some of the gas station snacks, both sunk into bed, emotionally and physically exhausted.

As sunlight filtered through the lavender curtains of her room, Elena opened her eyes, stifling a yawn and sitting up to get a better look at the place she would now call home. The room was quaint, with an old-fashioned feel to it, reinforced by the flowered curtains, and matching white furniture set.

Elena got out of bed and, running her hand along the bumpy wood of her new desk, thought that she could get used to this. It wasn't Mystic Falls with her huge bedroom and sprawling house, but it was comfortable and mostly non-descript in a way that, for the first time since the incident at the gas station, gave Elena hope that this could work. She could overcome missing her family, friends and Damon, and she would be successful here.

The two of them spent the day unpacking the house and walking around the main street in town to get acquainted with Forks and its layout. There was a welcome dinner in honor of the new Chief of Police, so Elena didn't have to make anything, and she was content to sit alone in silent contemplation while Charlie met the townspeople and brought her home leftovers later that night.

When he got back, Charlie announced that people were disappointed that she didn't go to the party, but that he had made a few friends, and had plans to go fishing with one of the men from the nearby reservation, Billy Black, the next day.

"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself for the day, El- I mean Bella?" Charlie asked her, concerned.

Elena appreciated the use of her new name, but brushed away his concern and said, "I'll be fine, Char- Dad. I was thinking of exploring a little bit more, and I have to find the high school and pick up my schedule for Monday anyway."

Charlie still looked at her uncertainly, "Well if you're sure…"

"Definitely. Go, have fun. Oh! And bring back some fish; we could do with some seafood for dinner."

"Sure thing, Bells." Charlie said, using a nickname for her nickname.

Elena smiled at him, liking his special name for her, gave him a hug, and went up to bed. It had been a long day, and, though Elena would have flourished in the spotlight and in meeting new people, she felt that Bella, as her complete opposite, was shy and clumsy, and should be tired out by her first day in the new town. So, with that thought, she fell asleep, but not before glimpsing, one last time, the horror on the beautiful young man's face.

**There you go. Hope you enjoyed it; if you did, please let me know. If you didn't, let me know that too, but please explain why so that I can try to improve. Also, to clarify, I will refer to her always as Elena in thoughts and observations, unless they are by someone who only knows her as Bella. In the cases of Charlie and Elena herself, Elena will always refer to herself as Elena, except while speaking, but Charlie will probably vary. Thanks! **


	6. Hello Boring Bella

**A/N: So it turns out that I'm a terrible person who lost all inspiration after Elena chose Stefan and Season 3 of TVD ended. However, here is (FINALLY) a new chapter in honor of the upcoming new season. Hooray and enjoy!**

After picking up her schedule early the next morning, Elena went to the only hairdresser's in town and received a total transformative makeover. Gone was her beautiful long hair; in its place, was shoulder-length hair in a rather mousy shade of brown. Elena knew she would miss her hair, but, like with her name, a new start meant a completely different person. Charlie agreed, but was still a little surprised at her resolve once he returned home from fishing and realized she had actually gone through with her makeover. Other than those stimulating event's on Elena's social calendar, the weekend passed relatively quickly and, before she knew it, Monday had arrived.

Somewhat apprehensive about starting at a new school for the first time in her entire life, Elena drove as slowly as possible, but quickly arrived at the school. The red brick buildings, swarming with students, presented a much different picture of Forks High School than the one she encountered that previous weekend; Elena felt a little excitement at all the new people she would meet before she remembered her goal in Forks: stay below the radar and don't get noticed. With a sigh she parked her truck as far away from all other vehicles as possible, and trudged into the school.

Five minutes later, the late bell had just wrung, and Elena was already hopelessly lost. Who knew that a school so small and so like the one in Mystic Falls could still be so confusing?! Suddenly she felt a presence over her shoulder and, due to her experiences with vampires, whirled around, ready to hit her would-be attacker or at least run away screaming. Neither reaction was necessary, however, and she quickly apologized to the blonde boy onto whom she'd turned.

As a full blush took over his cheeks, the boy cleared his throat and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Mike. You must be the new girl; Isabella, right?"

Trying not to laugh at the poor boy's obvious discomfort, Elena attempted to seem shy and quiet and timidly stretched out her hand, saying, "Bella actually. But yeah. I'm new." She sighed again.

Mike, hearing her sigh, replied, "Wow, no need to be so depressed, Bella. Forks isn't that bad."

"Yeah, Mike's right. Forks is pretty cool. And you're in luck; it's even sunny today!" Upon hearing a new voice, both Elena and Mike turned toward the speaker. The Asian boy that Elena saw seemed harmless enough, but the expression on Mike's face, a mixture of annoyance and jealousy, made her roll her eyes in exasperation. Forks was not about attracting attention, especially not male attention.

At least, Elena thought as Mike and, the Asian boy—Eric, he'd said—continued to talk to her, they were comfortingly human; she'd spent enough time around vampires to know who was one, and both guys were too outgoing, kind and, frankly, juvenile, to be anything other than perfectly ordinary humans.

After explaining that she'd just come out of a long, badly-ended relationship, Elena extricated herself from the conversation with Mike and Eric, and finally found her class. The rest of the day progressed normally and when lunch finally arrived, Elena found herself with a problem she'd never had to worry about before: where was she going to sit at lunch? Thankful for Mike's unwanted attention, Elena quickly found a seat with him and his friends, which included Eric, Angela—a girl in her Spanish class—and Jessica, who, by the looks she was sending Mike's way, wasn't entirely happy about the new addition to the table. Elena was quick to bring up her past relationship, however, and Jessica quickly thawed out into someone very similar to Caroline—vapid, but fun.

Over the next few days, Elena grew increasingly comfortable in her new surroundings, but was always careful to uphold the façade of the shy, clumsy girl that was Bella Swan. Jessica and Angela had quickly accepted the new girl and the three made plans to go shopping in nearby Port Angeles that weekend. Overall, Elena thought while eating lunch with her new friends the following Monday, Forks isn't so bad—it hadn't rained yet, everyone was human, and she had all but forgotten the guy at the gas station with his horrible expression and sudden escape from her apparently offensive presence.

Little did Elena know that everything was about to change. Again.

**A/N: I would say that the next installation will be up soon, but who knows. I'm hopeful though. Review!**


	7. Goodbye Sunshine

**Enjoy and review!**

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The optimism which had colored the previous week quickly disappeared, however, when Elena woke up the next morning to lots of rain. She grumbled, slammed a hand down to turn off her alarm, and rolled over, pulling the sheet way over her head. Elena was excited to go shopping that weekend with her new friends, but a rainy Tuesday didn't fit into her plans at all.

Charlie, who knew the old Elena well enough to realize that she probably was contemplating skipping school, went upstairs and knocked noisily on her door.

"Go away," she yelled, her voice somewhat muffled from the comforter covering her face.

Rolling his eyes at his 'daughter', Charlie said patiently, "I know that it's raining and that Elena would skip school on a day like this, but first of all it always rains in Forks, so you can't skip every day."

Elena interrupted him, saying snarkily, "Watch me."

He ignored her and continued, "Second, I'm the new Chief of Police, Bells. What kind of message would I be sending if I let my own kid skip school because of a little falling water? And before you get all sarcastic again, I think Bella is kind of studious; skipping school probably isn't in her vocabulary." Charlie smirked knowingly at that last reason. He knew that a new start was very important to Elena and she would do anything to keep up the appearance she had created around the fictional Bella Swan. Charlie 1; Elena 0.

Elena, hearing the truth in Charlie's reasoning, contemplated throwing a pillow at the door for a last show of resistance, but she really didn't want to go to school that day and the idea of any type of effort, even to prove a point, seemed like a bit much. As Charlie walked back downstairs, he heard a thump as Elena literally rolled out of bed, hitting the floor on her way. He chuckled loudly, his laugh echoing through the little house, and Elena grumbled even more.

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When she finally made it to school 45 minutes later, Elena's mood had visibly worsened, so much so that Mike, who had been pretty consistent in his pursuit of her company, smiled at her briefly when she walked into the school, but did not try to make conversation or even join her as she stuffed her belongings into her locker.

Struggling with her soaked rainjacket, umbrella and rainboots, Elena barely made it to class on time, and completely missed the presence of an additional student in the already packed room. As she sunk into her chair at the sound of the last bell, her biology teacher came over to her and said, "Elena, this is Edward Cullen. He's not new here but he has been away for the first week and as yours is the only desk with an empty space, he will now be your lab partner for the rest of the semester."

Elena looked up, stifling a groan at the thought of yet another guy thrown into her life, when her breath suddenly caught in her throat and she stared, transfixed, at her new deskmate.

He was indisputably gorgeous, but what struck her about him were not his amber eyes (an interesting color to be sure) or perfectly bronze hair—it was him! The guy from the gas station.

After a few seconds, however, when all Edward did was look at her briefly, mutter "Hi," and slide into his seat, Elena began to wonder if she had imagined his apparent disgust.

For Elena, the rest of the lesson was spent sneaking furtive glances at the boy next to her, and trying to decide what his deal was. Not once did he look her way—she was paying attention—but she felt acutely aware of him sitting so close to her, and felt with absolute certainty that he felt the same. When the bell rang and the class was dismissed, Elena watched as Edward grabbed his bag off the table, and practically ran out of the room.

Well, she decided, after seeing his speedy escape from the classroom, I can't have imagined the gas station; for some reason, I disgust this guy, and he can't stand to be anywhere near me.

This was further confirmed by a report from Angela at lunch that the Cullens, the rest of whom were pointed out to Bella later during the day, had all returned from their impromptu camping trip. Bella, of course, knew this because of biology that morning, and was wondering how Angela was aware of their presence when Angela said, "Edward was in the office today right after first period. I was photocopying a worksheet for Eric who was "sick" today, but I heard him come in and complain loudly about a mistake in his schedule; something about biology, I think? Anyway, Ms. Cope told him that if he had been here at the beginning of the year then something could have been arranged, but since he missed the entire first week, all other classes were full and there was nothing she could do."

Jessica, listening to Angela's story, noticed Elena's gaping face, and mistook her shock for admiration. She said, somewhat grudgingly, "Don't even bother with the Cullens, Bella. Apparently no one here is good enough for them. They're all inter-dating anyway."

Elena shook her head, partly to show that she wasn't at all interested in Edward Cullen, but mostly to remove the idea that Edward Cullen unconditionally hated her. But that was absurd, she thought stubbornly, he didn't even know her!

Elena Gilbert, now Bella Swan, was not looking for a guy in her life, but it irked her that Edward Cullen, a guy who was admittedly attractive, but nowhere near the caliber of her Damon, thought he was too good for her. Whatever, she thought; he's not even worth it.

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**Thanks for all of you who have been reviewing; it makes inspiration flow at least a little easier. Review!**


	8. Hello Sudden Danger

**So I'd like to personally mention the anonymous reviewer "I am Nothing" as well as "Bite Me Anyday" for your faithful reviewing of this story. I hope this chapter meets your expectations! Also, I know that Twilight progresses at a certain pace, but if you're reading this story, you've probably read Twilight and so I've decided to switch the storyline up a bit to move my plot along. Let me know what you think!**

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The rest of the week passed in, relative, peace and quiet as Elena learned to ignore her intrigue over the mysterious Edward Cullen, since he showed no signs of actually acting on his apparent disgust. It wasn't until Friday that he even spoke to her, and that was only to wish her a "Safe weekend," as if he knew exactly what she was running from. Elena then consoled herself with the knowledge that the strange guy couldn't possibly know who was haunting her, and simply had recognized a side of Bella that she had tried hard to project: a klutz prone to danger and accident.

In her excitement over the shopping plans made with Jessica and Angela, Elena quickly forgot Edward's odd comment about her weekend and spent her Friday evening with Charlie, frying the fish he had caught with Billy Black and reminiscing about their good times in Phoenix. Though originally wary about this strain of conversation, Charlie was careful to avoid any mention of Damon or anything Mystic Falls, and the two of them spent a nice evening.

Jessica, with Angela in the back, picked Elena up that next afternoon and drove to Port Angeles for their shopping expedition. The three girls chatted excitedly about their purchases as they walked through the town; Jessica in particular was happy since Mike had finally asked her to the Homecoming Dance Friday afternoon, and she was looking desperately for "the perfect dress" to wear for the upcoming party. Elena, who had refused multiple invitations to the Homecoming Dance with the excuse that she was going to Phoenix to visit her mom, Renee, that specific weekend, was excited for her friends, but found herself bored after a couple of hours of dress shopping. Telling Angela and Jessica that she would meet them for dinner in an hour at a prearranged place, Elena walked to Port Angeles Park and sat on a bench to people watch.

As she relaxed, Elena noticed Edward Cullen and his sister Alice, walking toward her, both with ominous looks on their faces. Assuming they weren't actually coming to talk to her, Elena ignored them and went back to people watching. Suddenly, she felt someone sit next to her and turned her head to look over at the person who had so unapologetically invaded her space.

He was older than her, maybe early twenties, probably around Damon's age, she thought with a pang. He was also attractive, though nowhere near as beautiful as Damon, Stefan or even Edward; he was, however, also creepy, and Elena's gut reaction when he first sat next to her was to immediately get up and walk away from him.

As if he could read her mind, the man turned toward her and said under his breath, "Don't even think about trying to escape, girl. I'm an expert tracker and I love a good challenge."

Elena, remembering all of the danger she encountered in Mystic Falls, looked at the stranger skeptically. "I'm not afraid of you at all, you know. The creepy guy act might work on some girls, but I am so not interested."

He sneered at her, and she suddenly reevaluated her previous lack of fear. "If I told you what I was, perhaps you'd show a little more healthy respect for your precarious humanity."

Suddenly out of nowhere, Edward appeared. Elena could see by his face and the obvious change in his eyes from gold to black that he was very angry and she instinctively flinched away from him, remembering all too clearly the look on his face the first time she saw him.

Edward gave her a pained look and said gruffly, though in an obvious attempt at gentleness, "Go to Alice in the car, Bella. She'll take you home."

"I'm not leaving you behind. Besides, you've never said more than two words to me, so why are you suddenly interested in protecting me from harmless creeps?" Elena replied.

At that he rolled his eyes, and as he attempted to get her to leave, the scary man took the opportunity to escape. Edward turned back to where the man had been standing just a few seconds earlier and said exasperatedly, "Where did he go?! We've been following them for days and now he's gone."

"Wait, them?" Elena asked warily.

"Yeah, he, his girlfriend, and a friend of theirs are passing through." Edward continued, speaking quietly to himself, though Elena heard him anyway, "Although now that he's seen me protect you, there's no way the other two are going to convince him to leave. I have to get you out of here."  
"Let's go," he said, in a louder voice.

Elena looked at him incredulously. "If you think I'm going anywhere with you, you're sadly mistaken. I barely know you anymore than that weird guy, and I don't need your protection, especially since you so obviously hate me."

Edward looked confused until Elena said, "Look, I know I saw you at the gas station a couple weeks ago, and the look on your face in that moment was one of absolute disgust."

At that, Edward had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed, but said resolutely, "That was in the past, Bella, before James caught your scent and decided to track you. I know this might seem a little confusing at the moment, but I promise that I'm going to keep you safe."

"Confusing?!" she replied, her voice gradually increasing in volume until Edward looked uncomfortably around him at the other people in the park, "You're right this is confusing! I have absolutely no idea what's going on, I just encountered a pretty scary guy that now apparently wants to find me because I smell nice and here you are making empty promises to a girl that, up until two seconds ago, you probably hated! Why should I go anywhere with you?!"

"Calm down, would you?" he asked her. "People are going to think I'm trying to kidnap you. I just want to take you home."

"You know what, fine. I'll go with you; I don't know why, but something in my gut is telling me you're trustworthy." Elena didn't really know what to do in her current situation, but she had gotten admittedly bored as Bella and wanted a little adventure in her life again. Besides, it's not like she was going to fall in love with Edward or that he was anything dangerous, right? So she went with him, got into the silver Volvo that Alice pulled up to the curb next to the park, and waited for the car to reach her house.

Upon reaching Forks, however, Elena quickly realized that when Edward said home, he had meant his home, not hers. She made a futile effort to get out of the car, but Alice simply said, "Sorry about this, Bella," and locked the doors.

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**So how was it? Once again, review's are a writer's best friend and they further inspiration like nothing else. Also, please feel free to PM me with any ideas, suggestions, or comments you might have; it's a little more personal than simply reviewing, and I'd love to get to know you all! 3**


	9. Goodbye Sedentary Lifestyle

**I only got one review for the last chapter. :( If you aren't thrilled with the last couple of chapters, let me know; I can't improve if I don't know what's wrong. Thanks everyone!**

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"Ouch!" Elena yelled loudly as she rolled over and landed on the floor. She laid there for a couple of seconds, waiting for Charlie's telltale laughter that occurred whenever she fell of her bed in the morning which, let's be honest, happened a lot. It wasn't until Elena felt the cool hardwood, instead of rough carpet, under her cheek that she remembered Edward, Alice and the creepy guy in the park.

Outraged, she sat straight up, woozily felt the slight bump on her head and said accusingly "You knocked me out!"

Edward, sitting across the room from her with Alice and a slightly older couple, looked at her wonderingly. "You get threatened by the most dangerous person you will probably ever meet; I practically kidnap you—for your safety, but still—and Alice won't let you go home, but all you can do is complain that I knocked you out!?"

Elena huffed at his words, and inwardly rolled her eyes about the danger comment. She had experienced more danger and fear than Edward Cullen could even begin to imagine. "Ha! So you admit to kidnapping me! I knew it! You are just a cree—."

At this point Elena heard a polite cough behind her and whirled around. Which was a mistake since her vision was still a little blurred and her head was beginning to hurt.

Elena closed her eyes to combat the oncoming dizziness, but she recognized Jasper as he said gently, "He didn't do anything to you, Bella. As you were getting out of the car when they got back to the house, you tried to run away and tripped."

The male half of the older couple in the room interjected then and said, "You hit your head pretty hard; I checked for a concussion, but you seem to be alright." Seeing a skeptical look from Elena, he added, "I'm Carlisle, by the way. I'm a doctor at Forks Hospital which is why I knew what to check for when you fell. And this is my wife, Esme. I suppose you could call us the, uh…surrogate parents of Edward and the others."

Esme smiled softly and lifted a hand in greeting. "Hello Elena, I'm glad to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Edward."

Her adoptive son glared at her in response to that comment. Though Elena, by this point, had a splitting headache, she was awake enough to catch his look and wonder at its meaning.

Suddenly, Elena's stomach grumbled as if the end of the world had arrived. She was temporarily embarrassed by the loud noise until she recalled that the Cullen's were the reason for her hunger in the first place and she quickly turned to glare at Edward for probably the fifth time. He chuckled darkly at her apparent stamina and said, "Let's go find the hum—I mean Bella, some food."

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After another Cullen—Emmett, Elena thought—returned from a quick run to the diner with some food for Bella, because the Cullen house was suspiciously empty of anything edible, Alice brought Elena into the kitchen and sat with her as she quickly finished off her food.

In another part of the house, Carlisle quietly entered his study. Edward, not as quietly, stormed in behind him, and, without even bothering to close the door, began to speak in an agitated way. "Why is this happening to me, Carlise?! And why her? You know how I feel about the scent of her blood; it's intoxicating to me. And if I hadn't seen how clumsy and incapable she is of staying out of trouble, I would even say that she's dangerous. I know you weren't there and we've been over this before, but I smelled something at that gas station; and it wasn't natural to us."

Before Edward's voice could get loud enough to wake the dead—pun intended—Carlisle interrupted calmly and said, "I believe you about the gas station, Edward, so calm down. Do I have to get Jasper in here?"

Edward shook his head abashedly and Carlisle continued, "I also understand about her blood; even as a physician I have not encountered a scent that potent in many years. I know it must be difficult for you, then, in the current situation, but Bella is, first and foremost, a human, and as such she deserves to be protected from our kind. She did nothing to deserve James' attention except for her simple presence in that park, and, at your core, you realize this. I've come to realize that with our readily changing temperaments, strong emotion can sometimes alter us in permanent ways. You saw James put Bella in danger and you automatically felt an overwhelming need to protect her. Now, until that danger is completely removed from her life, you are connected to Bella, whether you like it or not."

The younger man opened his mouth to respond, but quickly closed it as Alice telepathically informed him of her and Bella's approach to the study.

Years of hanging with vampires, however, caused Elena to be hyperaware of her surroundings and she heard the end of Carlisle and Edward's conversation before she and Alice reached the study door.

As it was open already, Alice didn't bother to knock on the door and simply walked into the study, Bella in tow.

The four people in the room stared at each other awkwardly until Alice finally said, "So, she's eaten. Now what do we do?"

"James is coming for her." Edward said ominously. He looked at his father-figure, and Carlisle nodded, once. "So now, we run."

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**So it may seem slightly filler, but things aren't always what they seem and this will actually be pretty important later on. So remember it, and tell me what you thought! Review 3**


	10. Hello Runaways

**Thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate it! Also, I own nothing, especially some of the dialogue in the flashback which comes from TVD 2X18 and 3x14. Enjoy!**

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"Run?! Are you crazy? Run where?" Elena asked.

Edward looked over at her and said, "Well, where are you from?"

Instinctively she opened her mouth and said, "My-"

Fortunately, Edward interrupted her before she could continue and ruin everything she'd worked so hard for. "Phoenix, right?" He asked her.

She looked at him then, her mouth gaping, "You know where I'm from?"

Edward looked as if he were about to blush, but he quickly turned to Carlisle before Elena could see anything. He continued, speaking in Carlisle's direction, "We can take her back there. She'll be safe, won't she?" He sounded desperate.

"Not if you go with her." He looked sad. "James recognized your protectiveness over Bella, and that's what makes the chase interesting for him. He will assume that you will go with Bella wherever we send her for safety."

Edward opened his mouth to contradict his father-figure, but Carlisle held up a hand to stop him. "Don't even try to argue with me. You know that I'm right."

It was at that moment that Alice, who had been silently standing in the study with Edward, Carlisle, and Bella, chose to join the conversation. "While waiting for Bella's food to arrive I "pictured" myself with Bella and Jasper in a Phoenix hotel room. We can keep her safe there while you, Edward, lead James away from her and take care of him."

Elena's mouth, which was still hanging open in surprise that Edward knew anything about her, even if it wasn't technically correct information, abruptly closed her mouth. "Take care of him? Who are you people, the Mob? Do they even have the Mob this far out in nowhere?"

As she spoke, her breathing quickened; Carlisle, recognizing the signs of shock-induced hyperventilation, quickly said, "No, Bella, we are not the Mob. But James is a very bad…man and he can't be allowed to hurt you, or anyone else, ever again. Sometimes force is necessary to protect those we care about."

At this Bella scoffed loudly. "Don't think that just because I've never said anything to you means that I don't care. You intrigue me, and I feel oddly protective of you." Edward said, sounding just as confused as Elena felt. "If it comes down to "taking care" of James, and keeping you safe, I don't know why, but I will gladly choose you."

Though it was not the time or the place, those words, so freely spoken by this man that Elena barely knew, took her back to life in Mystic Falls, not that long ago, when Damon and Stefan had escorted her to the Mikaelson's party.

**-Flashback-**

She had just finished talking to original vampire, Esther, when Damon found her. As he tried to get her to leave, they got into an argument—she had put herself in danger, again—and Damon wasn't talking any more of it.

"You would have tried to be the hero and you would have ruined everything." She said bitingly, her voice tinged with a small amount of regret at the hurt she clearly caused him.

"Sorry for trying to keep you alive!" He yelled, under his breath so the other party guests wouldn't overhear their conversation.

She looked at him accusingly, "Now you're mad at me for including Stefan? I don't believe that he would hurt me. I went to him because I knew that you wouldn't help; your only concern is keeping me safe."

His eyes widened a little in disbelief. "I'm mad at you because I love you!"

Elena melted a little at the free expression of love she had just heard, but her heart quickly hardened again, remembering that they were arguing. Suddenly, all she wanted was to hurt him. So she did. "Well, maybe that's the problem."

Damon's blue eyes narrowed, and Elena quickly felt guilt over what she'd just said. As she tried to retract her previous statement, Damon interrupted her. "Just don't, Elena. If it comes down to you and anyone else, I will gladly let them die. Let me be clear about something: I will always choose you. And maybe that's the problem. I care too much; I'm a liability."

He laughed; it was a cold and bitter laugh. "How ironic."

**-End of Flashback-**

From that moment onward, Elena had decided that she was never going to let things get bad enough for Damon to have to make that choice. She was as unwilling to let people get hurt on her behalf then as she was now, so she said to Edward, "That's not your choice to make. You may feel protective of me, but this is my life we're talking about. I refuse to let you kill someone simply for being a little creepy."

Edward suddenly looked furious, "You don't get it, do you? If we don't kill James, he will kill you! And he'll enjoy it. Then he'll go on and kill others; he has no conscience, and no one can catch him except for us."

"That's quite a hero complex you've got." Elena spat back at him sarcastically. "I don't need you to keep me safe. I've dealt with danger before."

"I doubt it was anything as bad as James." Edward replied.

Elena resisted the urge to roll her eyes. You have no idea, she thought.

At this point, Carlisle intervened and said, "I appreciate your concerns, Bella, but this is a sacrifice Edward is willing to make. And if Edward is willing, so are we."

Bella thought she heard a scoff at this from outside the room, but knew that was impossible since everyone else was definitely on the other side of the house.

"You have to believe us, Bella." Alice said imploringly. "We are the ones best able to protect you. Please let me and Jasper take you back to Phoenix. You'll be safe there."

"What about Charlie, I mean, my dad? I can't just leave him here for James to find him. Or Renee? I'm not going to go back to Phoenix and lead James straight to my mom. I know you want to keep me safe, but that just isn't going to happen."

"Bella's right, Carlisle." Edward said. "We can't just leave them; they'd be defenseless against him."

Alice looked thoughtful, "He can't go after her and both of them at the same time, though, Edward."

He nodded in agreement, but then Carlisle spoke up. "In case you've forgotten, Victoria and Laurent are also with him. It is very likely that he would send either of them after Bella's parents."

"That's it then," Bella said firmly, "I'm not going anywhere."

I've avoided fatality before, Elena thought. This guy might be serial killer material, but he and his friends are no match for the dangers I've faced in my past. I'll survive, just like I always do.

Edward looked ready to fight her on her decision to stay behind, when he whipped his head towards Carlisle and said, "There's someone at the door."

Alice's eyes glazed over for a couple of seconds and then she said, "It's Laurent. He's come to warn us about James."

Edward shook his head. "It doesn't matter what he says. When it comes down to it, Laurent will do what James tells him to, and Victoria, as James' mate, will do the same."

Elena barely had enough time to be confused over Edward's word choice—mate? Really?—when Carlisle's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Are you certain, Edward? If I offered him a different life, would it make a difference do you think?"

"It's worth a shot," Edward said, "but I think the future, at this point, is pretty set." He looked over at Alice, who nodded cryptically.

"We have to get Bella out of here, then," Jasper said, entering the study with Emmett, Rosalie and Esme at his heels. "Let's go Alice."

Elena thought about fighting, and then realized how useless she was, especially against these odds.

Edward, as if sensing her thoughts, leaned over to her and whispered, "Don't even think about it. I'll send Esme and Rose to protect your dad and Alice and Jasper will take turns in Phoenix making sure that nothing happens to your mom. Carlisle will stay here to take care of any questions anyone might have, and Emmett and I will take James to Canada, as far away from you as physically possible."

Elena felt resigned. She moved to Forks to protect the people she had come to love like family, yet here she was, putting herself and others in danger once again. "Fine," she said, resolved to her fate. "Let's do this."

* * *

The next 20 minutes, after the conversation in the study had broken up and Carlisle had left to talk to Laurent, whoever that was, Elena thought, were spent in frenzied preparation for Edward's plan.

It surprised Elena, actually, how willing everyone in Edward's family was to help keep her safe. They knew her less than he did. Even Rosalie, who Elena was sure disliked her out of principle, went along with Edward's plan, though not without a few well-timed grumbles or mumbled curses. A look from her boyfriend, Emmett, however, quickly shut her up, so that when Edward requested that Rosalie change clothes with Bella to lead James in the wrong direction with Bella's scent, she looked annoyed, but merely obeyed her foster brother's directions with a roll of the eyes.

Eventually, Alice and Jasper announced that they were ready to leave with Bella, and Edward came over to her. After an awkward hug that was actually quite pleasant for Elena, though she'd never admit it to anyone, least of all Edward, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Bella. I'll make sure you make it back here. And when you do, I'll make sure Charlie is there, alive and in one piece, to welcome you home."

On an unexplainable impulse, Elena quickly stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She immediately blushed bright red when he smiled down at her. "Thanks," she said, "I mean it."

Edward touched his cheek wonderingly, and then smirked down at her. "I believe you."

Elena resisted the urge to slap that silly grin off his face, but Edward, in that moment, reminded her so much of Damon, that she allowed him to smile at her until Alice grabbed her arm and practically threw her into the car.

As the three of them—Alice, Elena and Jasper—drove out of the Cullen's garage into the now darkness, Elena lifted her hand and waved limply at Edward. She was running away, again.

Oh well, she thought. Here we go again.

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**Hope you enjoyed that. Review! 3**


	11. Goodbye Protection

**These chapters keep getting longer and longer! Hope you enjoy it. I don't own, but please review anyway!**

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As Alice displayed an amazing ability to do without sleep, the three of them drove through the night from Forks to Phoenix. Elena had wanted to call Charlie and Renee to warn them of the incoming danger, but Alice and Jasper wouldn't let her, and somewhere between Washington and Nevada, she just gave up. She placated herself with the knowledge that Edward would do everything in his power to keep the people she loved safe.

It was a wonderful feeling, actually, Elena thought, looking out the window at the Arizona stars. She had forgotten what it felt like to be number one for someone and have that person put her needs above anyone else's. And was it a little bit shallow to think that the combination of his protectiveness, his good looks, and his wonderful family was enough to make Elena see Edward in a different light? Maybe, she thought, when this is all over…

Elena didn't let that thought finish. Who was she kidding? When this was all over she would go back to being Bella, yet another girl at Forks High School staring longingly at Edward Cullen whenever he passed her in the hallway or happened to look her way. It was pitiful actually, the way females reacted to him, almost as if they couldn't help but fall at his feet. But she, Elena, would resist, she decided.

Almost as if he realized she were thinking about his foster brother, Jasper turned around from where he was sitting in the front passenger seat and said, "Don't worry about Edward, Bella. He can take care of himself."

Elena quickly responded, "I'm not worried about his safety."

Jasper looked a little taken aback at her sharp response.

Alice peered back at Elena through the mirror. "It's okay to be scared, Bella. But we'll keep you safe, from James or anyone else."

Opening her mouth to contradict Alice's statement and claim, falsely, that she wasn't scared at all, Elena was interrupted by Jasper who said, while turning back toward the front, "You just seem tense, is all, Bella."

"I'm not worried," she said again. At least, not about Edward's safety. The state of her heart, on the other hand, worried Elena greatly.

* * *

The trio eventually ended up in Phoenix around 9 in the morning. Elena was sure that the speed with which they arrived had something to do with Alice's recklessly fast driving, but Alice simply laughed and said, "Don't be silly, Bella. I was following the speed limits the entire way."

Elena knew that the drive she had taken from Phoenix to Forks with Charlie not so many weeks ago had taken a lot longer than their race through the night from Washington to Arizona, but she said nothing.

It was then decided that Jasper would go get a hotel for the three of them while Alice got food for Bella. As if they don't need to eat too, Elena thought. Apparently not, however, for when Alice and Elena met Jasper at the hotel he had found, there was only enough food for one. And Elena, after eating everything Alice had bought and still feeling hungry, dropped into one of the double beds and promptly fell asleep.

When she woke up a few hours later, it was 3 in the afternoon, and Elena was alone in the spacious hotel room. She was about to roll out of bed to find Alice and Jasper when the bedside hotel phone rang. Assuming it was just the front desk or housekeeping, Elena picked it up.

"Hello," she said, still somewhat groggy from her long nap.

"Remember me?" the voice on the other line said, creepily.

"I'm sorry; you must have the wrong number. I don't know who you're looking for, but I don't think it's me."

Elena moved to hang up on the strange caller, but before she could, the voice replied "Don't even think about trying to hang up on me, girl. I'm an expert tracker and I love a good challenge. I will find you whether you listen to me or not."

"James!" Elena gasped out, suddenly terrified. She looked around, frantically searching for Alice and Jasper.

"Oh, good." He said. "You know my name. That always makes things so much more enjoyable. But do you know what I am yet? I'm sure your precious Cullen's will have told you everything by now, right?"

At Elena's answering silence, he continued. "Or not. Hmm. Interesting. Well if they haven't told you yet, I'm sure not going to ruin that surprise. You'll just have to wait and see, I suppose. How exciting."

Elena resisted the urge to shudder at James' words, and put everything she had into sounding confident and unafraid when she asked him, "What do you want with me?"

He chuckled, low and ominous. "I'm sure you are well aware of what I do with my…pets. Whatever else you might be unaware of, the Cullen's have definitely told you that. I had thought about waiting for you to call your mother, or should I say Renee? Because you and I both know your mother died in a car accident a long time ago. But then I decided, why wait? You see I went through your records at Forks High School, but it turns out that Bella Swan didn't actually exist until you moved to Forks. So I went back a little farther, and found myself in Phoenix. After that it was pretty easy to find Renee. Your Edward tried to lead me away from the policeman, but I stayed at your house long enough to hear a frantic call from that man to Renee about how his precious 'Elena' hadn't come home yet."

She gasped then. How could James know all of this about her?

She heard him smiling through his words as he continued, "Oh yes, I know everything there is to know about you, Miss Gilbert. So, here's my proposition: I have Renee. I was prepared to wait for you, but, like I said, waiting is boring. And you don't believe me? Check the house. Quite a nice little place she's got there; don't know why you'd ever want to leave it." He chuckled again, and Bella heard a quiet whimper in the background.

Renee! She thought, desperately. What has he done to you? "I'm so sorry, Renee," she whispered.

James heard her, and said gleefully, "I assume you'll agree to my proposed exchange then. You lose your bodyguards and I'll trade you a life for a life: yours for your precious Renee's. And then all you have to do is dance your way to me, mystically of course." With that, James abruptly hung up the phone, and Elena sat there for a good thirty seconds, just staring off into space.

He found her. She couldn't believe it. There was also a small part of her that wondered why James was so driven and able to find her, but Damon apparently forgot, or no longer cared, where she was. It hurt to think about, so Elena simply buried that thought deep down and tried to focus on the problem at hand.

So James had Renee. Though they weren't actually related, Renee was the closest thing Elena had to a mother since her mom, Isabelle and Jenna had all passed away and Elena simply wasn't willing to lose anyone else in her life, blood relative or not.

The only problem was how to find her 'Mom'.

Elena was still sitting on the bed with a blank look on her face when Alice and Jasper returned a couple of minutes later. Alice quickly rushed over to Elena in concern, but before she could ask if she were alright, Alice's eyes glazed over.

Though Elena was confused about this sudden change in behavior, Jasper simply grabbed a pen and paper, set it in front of Alice, and sat back to watch as she grabbed the pen and began to draw.

"What is going on?" Elena asked, suddenly confused.

Jasper looked tired; it seemed uncharacteristic for him, Elena thought. "Alice sometimes has a special ability," Jasper finally said. He looked apprehensively at Elena, but she merely shrugged.

"My best friend back home swore she was psychic," she said without thinking.

He was suddenly interested. "Home?" He asked. "In Phoenix?"

Elena, realizing her mistake, nodded slowly, "Um, yeah. Here. In Phoenix. My home."

Edward's brother looked at her strangely, but was soon distracted by Alice pulling out of her trance and staring down at the drawing she had created.

"I don't know this place," she said, holding up her drawing with a confused expression on her face.

"That's a dance studio!" Elena said. Suddenly, James 'cryptic speech made sense. Elena quickly formulated a plan and said "I used to go there when I was little. It was near my house, but I don't remember the name. Do you think it's important?"

Jasper and Alice looked at each other cryptically. Finally, "You stay here with Jasper, Bella," Alice said. "I'm going to see if I can find out what's so great about this dance studio."

Her boyfriend nodded in agreement.

They both looked at Bella for her opinion, but she merely nodded, got off the bed and made her way to the bathroom.

Once inside she locked the door, sat down with her back to the door, and thought about how to get rid of Jasper.

Her stomach grumbled, then, and an idea came to her. Everyone's got to eat, right?

* * *

After convincing Jasper that, yes, she would be fine on her own for an hour or so while he went out and grabbed her food, he left. Alice, at that point, had already been gone twenty minutes, and Elena, after both were gone, grabbed a few essentials and quickly left the hotel room.

Taking the back stairs to avoid detection in case Jasper was still anywhere near the lobby or the hotel's front entrance, Elena exited the building and hailed a cab to the airport.

Knowing that Alice and Jasper would catch up with her eventually, Elena used her real name—Elena Gilbert—but didn't bother to pay with cash, and instead used Charlie's emergency credit card to buy a plane ticket for that afternoon at five.

Elena was soon on the plane and in the air. When the plane finally reached cruising altitude, Elena breathed a sigh of relief and attempted to get a little sleep before she arrived. It was going to be a long night, she knew, and if James didn't kill her, the emotional toll of being back home probably would.

She was trying to decide if, when all of this with James was over, she should go see all of the people she had left behind. Jeremy and Alaric were long gone, but it had been a long time since she had seen Care or Bonnie. Elena didn't even want to think about Damon, or even Stefan. She didn't think she could face Damon, knowing that he had willingly abandoned her in his anger over their stupid little argument. As for Stefan, she didn't know what to say to him anymore; he simply wasn't the person she used to know.

With all of these thoughts running through her head, Elena lay back in her seat and closed her eyes, dropping into a restless and uneasy sleep, every second taking her closer to the place she had tried so hard to leave behind: Mystic Falls.

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**Hope you enjoyed that. Either way, let me know! Reviews are love.  
**


	12. Hello Solitary Sacrifice

**Enjoy! I don't own, especially the parts taken from Twilight explicitly.**

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After transferring to a smaller plane for the flight to the small airport outside of Mystic Falls, Elena finally arrived back at her old home. Though she thought about hailing a cab to her old dance studio, it was a nice night and she decided to walk instead. A small part of her was worried for Renee's safety, but she rationalized her decision to walk with the knowledge that James wouldn't do anything until Elena arrived.

Since she had fallen asleep on the plane before figuring out what to do if she survived her encounter with James, Elena spent the long walk thinking about Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Caroline and especially Edward. It was hard enough deciding how she felt about him without the added drama of Damon and everyone else possibly being back in her life.

Before she fully decided, however, she arrived at the studio. Suddenly, all of the fears that she had attempted to suppress through thoughts of Damon and Edward bubbled to the surface, and Elena was momentarily paralyzed by them. Taking deep breaths, she leaned against the outside wall for support and mentally prepared herself for whatever it was she was about to face.

"I haven't felt this terrified since Klaus," she said, out loud to herself in an attempt at personal encouragement. "Come on, Elena. You can do this; Renee needs you."

It was remembering that the safety of someone she loved depended on her that finally got Elena up from against the wall and into the dance studio. Though the light in the main studio was out and the studio itself had been closed for years, there was a faint, flickering light coming from the old office in the back, and Elena, after taking one more deep breath, headed towards it.

As she walked through her old studio to get to James and Renee, Elena was filled with memories of all the wonderful times she'd had with Bonnie and Caroline in that very studio, the dances that they'd learned, the recitals they'd performed in, the trophies that they'd won. On her left she saw what used to be the trophy case, and was surprised to recognize, not trophies behind protective glass, but vervain grenades, a handful of wooden stakes and a few guns used for shooting vervain darts. Becoming more aware of her surroundings while looking around her old dance studio, Elena realized that the wooden floor was covered with boxing mats and littered with empty blood bags.

This was much more than a dance studio, Elena thought, this was a war room. She felt herself shudder. It's possible that this was where Alaric once stored his anti-vampire weaponry, but those blood bags looked fresh, and Elena was suddenly filled with fear over something much greater than simply James.

Deciding to take things one step at a time, however, she continued onwards to the light in the back, sure that James had heard her in the main studio and was simply biding his time until she came straight to him. She found it a little strange that he hadn't just come out to meet him, but maybe the things which anyone, not even the initiated, could recognize as weapons, had intimidated him a little bit. At least she hoped that was the reason; it helped to think of James as someone who could be intimidated, even if just a little.

Elena finally reached the back room, but when she pushed back the door and walked inside, the small space was empty; James wasn't there, and Renee was nowhere to be found. Looking around in confusion, Elena saw a small piece of paper near the door. As she leaned down to pick it up, she heard a low chuckle in the main studio, and had enough time to see the words "Gotcha" before turning to face her would-be attacker.

"What have you done with Renee?" she yelled searching for James in the shadows of the studio's gallery.

He chuckled again, more ominous than amused this time, and then she spotted him. Reflected in the ballet studio's many mirrors, he was everywhere, and he was nowhere; she could not find him.

James stepped out of the darkness near the front door, and Elena realized with a jolt that he had been there the whole time, had probably even watched her enter the studio and look around. He had seen the weapons, and wasn't threatened by them in the slightest.

"She's not in here." Elena said, arriving at the realization that she was all alone with James.

He forcefully grabbed her shoulder and slammed her against the wall. "No," he whispered in her ear, "Sorry."

Elena's breathing quickened in panic as James pulled out a video camera and said, "This'll break Edward's little heart."

Forgetting about Renee, Elena reacted with the same protectiveness she felt for Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan, Renee or even Damon, and fought back against James' strong grip. She said forcefully, "Edward has nothing to do with this!"

He laughed again and pulled her close to him so that their faces were almost touching. Brushing his fingers seductively across her face, he said softly, "His rage when he sees this will make for more interesting sport than his feeble attempt to protect you."

She raised her hand to try and slap him, but he grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her across the room with more strength than any normal human should possess. Elena, cowering on the floor near the back office, looked up at her attacker in confusion. What was he?

James approached her slowly, taking time to revel in her pain. "It's too bad he didn't have the strength to turn you," he sneered, grabbing her hand which had apparently been cut in her fall and had begun to bleed. He inhaled deeply, and suddenly, she knew.

"Damon would never turn me!" She spat back in response.

"Oh, there's someone else is there? That's interesting." He saw Elena's now confused face and smirked at her. "I was referring to Edward, actually."

"I don't believe you! Edward is perfectly normal. Isn't he?" She said, almost as an afterthought.

"Afraid not, sweetheart." James was enjoying this, she could tell by the way in which he sneered at her confusion and physical pain. He closed his eyes and inhaled again, bringing her injured hand up to his face so that he could drink from her hand.

Elena closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain she knew was coming. Klaus had attempted to drain her once; Elena was hoping she passed out quickly because this was not an experience she wished to relive.

She felt the cool touch of James' lips against her skin, and the sudden pain as he bit into the warm flesh of her palm. He drank for what seemed like forever, but before she had even passed out from lack of blood, Elena heard the noise of breaking glass and opened her eyes to see James drop her hand from his mouth and turn around to see who had disturbed him.

She looked up, vision hazy from lack of blood, and could not, at first, figure out who she was looking at. As her vision centered and she saw a flash of cropped bronze hair and a swish of long black locks, she recognized her saviors.

It was Stefan and Bonnie! Somehow, some way, they had found her in that dance studio.

James never even had a chance.

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**So how was it? Review!**


	13. Goodbye Self-Induced Forgetfulness

**So I know it's literally been eons, but I've not been very motivated. I thought that the recent Delena-themed episode would inspire me, but I was actually disappointed by it. Sadly. What did you think about it actually? On a completely different note, it's not much, but enjoy!**

* * *

For the second time in two days, Elena woke with a sudden jolt, finding herself not in a warm bed like she expected, but forcibly slammed against a wall. She remained pinned there by a strong, muscular arm, and, for two terrible seconds, thought that she was still in the dance studio with James. With a sigh of relief Elena realized that Bonnie and Stefan had actually saved her from her terrorizer, and she looked up, not in fear, but merely confusion.

Damon. Damon? It's really him! She thought, as striking blue eyes and shoulder-length black hair came in to view. But before she could even say his name, he tightened the arm around her waist and pushed her even further into the wall.

Growling threateningly, Damon asked, "How did you get in here?!"

Elena opened her mouth to respond questioningly, but before she could speak Damon continued.

"One wrong word and I'll crush your windpipe," he said, moving his hand up to her throat.

Elena now dangled helplessly in the air, held up only by Damon's violent threat; she couldn't have spoken even if she wanted to. As her face turned from white to pink to red to purple, Elena's vision dimmed and, also for the umpteenth time in the past few days, she passed out.

Damon dropped her with disgust, contempt and anger.

Hearing a growl behind him, he turned to see who else had a death wish that day. To his surprise, he saw a small, pixie of a woman with spiky black hair glaring at him with as much promised violence as he'd just threatened. He was about to laugh the little woman off as a joke when she suddenly bared fangs and stalked towards him.

Confused by the lack of spidery face veins, Damon faltered for a mere second and was quickly thrown to the floor and held there, the black haired woman leaning over him angrily.

"What have you done to Bella?!" She asked him with a yell.

At this, Damon furrowed his brow in further confusion and said, equally loudly, "Who on earth is Bella?!"

The woman, whose name Damon later learned was Alice, gracefully released him and sprang to her feet. Upon hearing Damon's question, her look of anger quickly changed to match his of confusion. She pointed to Elena, still passed out on the ground. "That's Bella," she said. "Isabella Swan."

Damon shook his head. "No," he said, "_that_ is Katherine."

She opened her mouth to respond when yet another person entered the room. "Actually, you're both wrong," Stefan said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "That's Elena."

Gasping, Damon flew to her side and held her unconscious body gingerly. "Oh, Elena. I'm so sorry. I did this to you. I'm so sorry."

Elena, on hearing Damon's voice, began regaining consciousness. At the first flutter of her eyelids, however, Damon zipped across the room, running away from her side as quickly as he went to it in the first place.

Alice, for her part, was confused and feeling at least a little bit betrayed. She attempted to step between Bella—Elena, she corrected herself—and her attacker for some answers, but the other man, the one who reminded her of Edward, held her back and shook his head cryptically.

"Let them work this out first," he said, quietly so only she could hear.

* * *

**So I know it was short, and I'm sorry. But everything that comes after this is very long and I don't really want to split it up, so I did it like this instead. I would say expect something soon, but it's finals week, so we'll see. Anways, reviews are love, even if I don't deserve them. Thanks!**


	14. Hello Collision Course

**It's been more than two months! Wow. I apologize. I just lost all motivation. As a seasoned FF writer, this is not new to me, but I still feel like I've abandoned not only my readers, but my story as well. So I'm sorry. Please enjoy this chapter as an apology present. Enjoy!**

* * *

Damon took a shuddering breath and looked across the room at Elena, wondering, not for the first time since he'd seen her in his bed and assumed she was Katherine, how he could have lived with himself if he'd killed her. As it was, he still couldn't bring himself to be near her, worried that some mutation of his vampireness would emerge and injure her further—he could already see fingerprint shaped bruises forming on her neck; for all that she insisted she was fine.

As if she could feel the heat of his eyes on her back, Elena turned around and smiled adoringly at him. The blue-eyed vampire couldn't take the love he saw on her face, and turned sharply around, leaving the room with an inhuman speed.

Elena was much less distracted without Damon's all-consuming presence in the room, and faced Alice, a questioning look on her face.

"How did you find me?" She asked. Alice was smart, but Elena didn't see Jasper around, so she wasn't entirely sure how Alice had discovered Elena Gilbert's existence on her own. "Charlie's card?" Elena mused out loud.

"Um…" Alice looked uncomfortable for a second, before she continued. "Remember that 'special ability' Jasper told you about? Well it led me here. To you."

"Took you long enough," Elena whispered, half under her breath.

Alice, however, apparently possessed superhuman hearing abilities as well as physic ones, and said, "No thanks to you!," Alice shot back.

"It was surprising actually. Because I'd never had a vision with you in it, but then Jasper and I were in the hotel in Phoenix trying to figure out where you could have possibly gone, when I was hit with one of you being practically destroyed by James."

A low, menacing growl emerged through the open door from the hallway, where Damon was clearly listening in on the conversation. Then there was a shushing, which Elena could only assume was Stefan, also out in the hallway. Alice continued.

"Speaking of which, what were you thinking?! He could have killed you! A weak human like you with seemingly no way of protecting yourself; it was practically suicide!" Alice's voice had risen exponentially during this last statement, and her yelling could be heard all the way on the side of the house where Bonnie was currently dealing with a large and unruly group of unexpected visitors.

"I'm sorry, but Elena has been through a lot today. You just can't barge in here and expect her to want to see you all. Besides, you clearly don't know her if you think her name is Bella. Where did you say you were from again?" Bonnie said, extremely exasperated with the four people standing the boardinghouse's living room.

"Who are you to tell me that I can't see Bella? I'm her… protector." The green eyed one snarled.

At that word choice, the large one snickered, earning himself a smack on the arm from the beautiful blonde one who was clearly his girlfriend.

"I apologize for our rudeness," the quiet one said, as a sense of calm filled Bonnie and she resolved to hear the four strangers out. "I am Jasper," he said. "They are Emmett and Rosalie, and that one," he said, rolling his eyes and pointing at the one who reminded Bonnie a lot of Stefan, "is Edward."

"I'm Bonnie," she replied, her southern manners emerging as she stuck out her hand for him to shake.

"Yes, yes, fine." Edward said, impatiently. "Can I—we—see Bella now?"

"No." Bonnie replied, firmly. "Just because I know your names doesn't mean anything. I am fiercely protective of Elena, and I am definitely not someone to be messed with."

She glared at Edward, but was startled when the big one—Emmett—started full out laughing. Bonnie raised an eyebrow at him, and he sputtered "You have no idea," in a failed attempt to speak and laugh simultaneously.

Edward sighed. "We are the Cullen-Hale family from Forks, Washington." He paused briefly, waiting for comprehension to dawn on Bonnie's face. When none came, however, he looked puzzled. "She never mentioned us?" Edward asked, incredulous.

"'Fraid not." Bonnie replied.

"Guess we're not as important in her life as you thought, Edward." Rosalie said, contemptuously.

"Rose, baby, we talked about this. We like Bella. Of course none of this would have happened if not for James, but now that it has we were even going to tell her our secret, remember?" Emmett said, soothingly.

When he mentioned a secret, Jasper, Edward and Bonnie all looked up sharply, Jasper and Edward glancing at each other before both turning to glare at Emmett.

The big guy had the sense to look apologetic. "Uh, sorry guys." He said, sheepishly.

Bonnie, ever concerned for her friends, attempted to look at terrifying as she could and looked over at Emmett. "What secret?" she asked menacingly.

"Yeah, what secret?" a new voice asked.

In response to the inquisitive looks she was getting from the four newcomers, Bonnie said quickly, "This is Damon. Elena's kind of boyfriend."

Damon looked sad at this and said, "Not anymore. I'm too dangerous for her to be around." Then, ignoring the room's other inhabitants, he focused his attention solely on Bonnie. "You have to send her back Sabrina. She can't be anywhere near me. I almost killed her in there."

Bonnie, who hadn't yet heard about Elena's brush with death in Damon's bed looked confused. "I'm choosing to ignore the jab, Dracula, due to a larger problem here."

"What exactly did you do to Bella?!" Edward asked, interrupting Bonnie mid thought.

"I was not speaking to you, whoever you are." Damon said, looking at Edward as if seeing him and the others for the first time. "Who are they?" He asked, jerking his head toward the four.

"Not sure exactly," she replied. "They say they know Elena from Forks, but the last time you saw her, she was in Phoenix, and I'm not clear on how she got from Arizona to Washington."

"Phoenix? What are you talking about? Is that where I took her?" He asked, throwing a flurry of questions at Bonnie in response to her earlier words.

Stefan, who had entered the room right behind Damon but had, as usual, been overlooked in the drama that was his brother, chose this moment to announce his presence by asking, "You don't remember? This is Elena we're talking about. The love of our lives, or was at least, for me. How do you not know?"

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**Stefan asks a lot of good questions. Damon dropped her off in Phoenix and visited Elena there, right? So what exactly is going on? Find out soon! Hopefully. ;) Review!**


	15. Goodbye Impossible Secrets

**It's a little shorter than the last one but I can't say I was very motivated to get this done. Especially since I only got one review for Chapter 14. As a writer, nothing is more disheartening than a lack of reaction; even a negative comment is better than none (but nice ones are better!)**

**That said, I don't own, but please enjoy!**

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In a moment of uncontrollable rage, Damon sped across the room, grabbing his brother by the throat and slamming him against the wall.

"Don't you ever question my love for Elena. Not ever. She is, was, and always will be, the love of my life." He managed to snarl out, his anger making speech difficult. Damon was then incapacitated by Bonnie as she gave both Salvatore brothers repeated brain aneurisms, ending the confrontation before it had even really begun.

As the Cullens looked on, trying, unsuccessfully, to hide their interest at the unfolding scene, both Stefan and Damon fell to the floor, grabbing their heads and rolling around in anguish.

Suddenly, Elena flew into the room. She was followed quickly by Alice who was yelling "Bella, wait!" at her retreating back in desperation.

"Bonnie! Stop it! This isn't you. Not anymore; you don't cause pain, you relieve it. You and Damon and Stefan are all on the same side now, remember?" Elena screamed at her friend.

Bonnie's look of concentration wavered as she looked repentantly at Elena and turned away from the Salvatore brothers. Elena rushed to Stefan's side, only turning to check on Damon once she was absolutely sure Bonnie was finished and Stefan was fine.

Clearly over his earlier brain pain, Damon rolled his eyes at Bonnie, who narrowed her eyes at him menacingly before he looked away, turning towards Elena with a look of anger etched onto his devilishly handsome face.

Before he could open his mouth to deliver what would have been an undoubtedly scathing comment, however, Elena spoke.

"Don't even think about it, Damon. You of all people should know how important my friends are to me." She said with a glare. "And after you just tried to kill me! I was so happy to see you too. I guess it is you, and not Klaus, that I should really be afraid of. Especially since James is gone." She looked questioningly at the Cullens, who nodded in affirmation.

"Besides," she continued, "you abandoned me, remember?"

"Abandoned you?" Damon asked incredulously. "Abandoned you?!" He repeated. "As I recall, you were the one who told me to leave!" He said, his voice increasing in volume at every word.

At that, Elena buckled, in too emotional a state to continue standing. Sliding to the floor, she said in a quiet voice, "You were supposed to come back. You promised me, but I never saw you again."

Elena choked back a sob, burying her face in her hands as her shoulders shook, causing her hair to fall and shield her face in this, her moment of grief over Damon's apparent desertion all those months ago.

He reached out, as if to comfort her, but noticed one of the people from Forks do the same, and quickly drew back his hand. The other man glared at Damon before moving closer to Elena's side. He put his hand on her shoulder and moved to sit down next to her. With his other hand he rubbed soothing circles on her back as they all waited for her tears to stop.

She regained her composure, looking up at her comforter in silent thanks for his support.

Once convinced of her emotional stability, Edward looked at her searchingly and said, "What exactly is going on here, Bella?"

She took one last deep breath to steady herself and launched into her story. Elena spoke quickly, only pausing for breath when absolutely necessary, glaring at any who attempted to interrupt her; almost as if she were afraid she would be unable to continue if stopped halfway through.

She told the Cullens all about the threat from Klaus, the move to Phoenix, her fight with Damon, and the reason for her eventual arrival in Forks. Elena managed to leave out all supernatural aspects of the story, protecting the Salvatores and Bonnie by explaining Klaus as an obsessive psychopath hell-bent on killing Elena, rather than what he really was—an evil, amoral vampire with a need for doppelganger blood.

The Cullens seemed relatively appeased by this story, and Elena breathed a sigh of relief as everything seemed much calmer than it had been earlier.

Her relief was both premature and short-lived, however, as Rosalie, who, up to this point, had been completely silent, asked nosily, "But what about her?" She pointed at Bonnie, her expression an even mixture of confusion and curiosity.

Emmett, her boyfriend, nodded in agreement. "She clearly did something to those two," he said, gesturing to Stefan and Damon who were now standing, side by side, in front of Bonnie protectively.

Elena, who hadn't felt comfortable sharing a secret that wasn't her own, looked at Bonnie beseechingly, mouthing "They're important to me too," to her skeptical friend. With a heavy sigh, Bonnie nodded once to Elena and said simply, "I'm a witch."

The newcomers gasped in surprise, exchanging shocked glances.

"That's impossible," Edward said, finally.

Still seated next to him on the couch, Elena turned to face Edward.

"It really isn't though, can't you see that? Even Alice sometimes has visions…is that, too, not equally impossible?" Elena said.

She reached over, trying to pat his hand reassuringly, but Edward pulled away from her touch, clearly conflicted.

"Edward?" Elena said, questioningly.

He rose from the couch, brushing past Bonnie on his way to the door, missing her shudder as their hands touched briefly.

"I just need some air." He said. Seeing the look of sadness on her face, he added, "It's just a lot to handle all at once, Bel-Elena."

With that, he exited the room, leaving the rest of his family behind with Stefan, Damon, Bonnie and Elena.

Alice, who noticed Elena getting up to follow him said, "Don't bother. Edward's always been a bit of a brooder." Seeing her friend's continued look of anguish at Edward's departure, Alice added brightly, "He'll be back. Don't worry, Bella; I mean, Elena."

"Oh, joy." Bonnie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. At Elena's questioning look and all of the Cullens' death glares, she shrugged her shoulders, an ominous look coming across her face.

"I didn't think it was possible because they entered without being invited in. But then again, you left so there is no human resident here anymore." At the growing fear on Elena's face, Bonnie continued. "The point is, they're just like Stefan and Damon. The must be vampires, Elena; they feel like death."

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